Recaps

Hughes stopped Fudia’s surprise attack on Mira and discovered that consuming the magma from Fudia’s body increased his Flame-Flame Fruit awakening progress. After Fudia emerged as a magma demon and pleaded for his life, Hughes learned that Balrog had been created from a flame taken from Fudia.

• Fudia’s warm stone attacked Mira, but Hughes kicked it away and brought her to Makarov, who shielded the others.
• Hughes sensed life within Fudia’s spreading magma, swallowed some, and learned that it advanced his Flame-Flame Fruit awakening.
• Hughes consumed more magma, raising his awakening progress to 88%, before Fudia gathered his body into a magma giant.
• Fudia revealed that Zeref had created him from a volcano and that Balrog had been made from a volcanic flame taken from him.

Hughes learned that Fudia and Balrog had been created as prototypes for END, then brought Natsu and Mira to confront Fudia after Natsu began craving something. Hughes’s Flame-Flame Fruit reached Complete Awakening as Natsu started devouring Fudia’s flames, and Natsu’s eyes and aura changed ominously.

• Fudia revealed that he and Balrog had been created as the foundation for END, and Hughes struck a hole through Fudia’s chest despite promising to let him go.
• Natsu collapsed with rapidly flowing magic and an intense hunger, while Porlyusica and Makarov determined he was not dying.
• Hughes took Mira and Natsu after Fudia, then attacked the demon with Rankyaku and absorbed Devil Factors from his wounds.
• The Flame-Flame Fruit reached Complete Awakening, allowing Hughes to make flames erupt from Fudia’s body.
• Hughes dropped Natsu onto Fudia, and Natsu lost control and began devouring the demon’s flames as his eyes turned deep crimson and a violent aura rose.

Hughes discovered that Igneel had suppressed Natsu’s devil instincts, then absorbed Fudia’s Devil Origin himself after Natsu was no longer able to take it. Mira took over Fudia and tested her new form, leaving a hollow between the hills destroyed by her magic.

• Igneel’s voice suppressed Natsu’s violent aura and ended his hunger, while Hughes realized Igneel had intervened from inside him.
• Hughes collected Magic Barrier Particles from Fudia and sent Natsu away with the bottle.
• Hughes battered Fudia and absorbed his Devil Factor, raising the Flame-Flame Fruit’s Awakening to 95%.
• Mira took over Fudia completely and transformed, gaining crimson hair, horns, and black-and-red armor.
• Mira gathered dark purple magic and unleashed a series of explosions that flattened a hollow between the hills.

Hughes teased Mira during her first attempt at taking over Fudia, but an accidental punch to his groin led him to unleash his flames against Makarov. He overwhelmed the guild members with his newly awakened fire powers and left the island in chaos.

• Hughes coached Mira on releasing her attack more quickly, then teased her about her human-beast form until she ended her Take Over and pretended to be angry.
• Hughes dodged Mira’s punches and pinched her nose, while Makarov sneaked up and slapped him on the back, knocking him into one of Mira’s punches below the waist.
• Mira blushed and fled, and Hughes angrily turned on Makarov as Macao and the others ran away.
• Hughes trapped Makarov inside towering flames and attacked him with volleys of Divine Fire: Shiranui spears after his Flame-Flame Fruit reached Complete Awakening.
• Erza led the others toward the island’s edge, stopping Natsu from approaching the flames, while Hughes continued attacking Makarov.

Hughes and Makarov fought at full strength, with their attacks devastating the deserted island before Makarov finally acknowledged Hughes's power. After Hughes joked about using Granny Porlyusica to retaliate, she arrived and struck Makarov with her cane, while Hughes fled back to the guild.

• Hughes and Makarov exchanged powerful attacks that shook the island and sent huge waves across the sea, prompting Erza to shield Natsu and Gray.
• Hughes hurled a gigantic fireball at Makarov, who released his full magic power and met it with a mountain-sized punch.
• After their attack reached a stalemate, Hughes dispelled the fireball, and Makarov praised his strength before striking him into a pit.
• Hughes threatened to use Granny Porlyusica against Makarov, and Porlyusica overheard them as she approached.
• Porlyusica struck Makarov on the head with her cane, and Hughes hurried back to the guild, saying he would talk to everyone later.

Hughes told Laxus about his growing strength and announced he was leaving to travel the continents and train. He departed before Makarov and the others returned, leaving Laxus a letter for Mira and a message for the old man.

• Hughes teased Laxus by claiming he had beaten Makarov in a fight on the deserted island, then discussed how his strength compared with Gildarts and Makarov.
• Hughes reminded Laxus to strengthen his body before they could seek out the Thunder Dragon King Elexion to address Laxus's condition.
• Hughes told Laxus he was leaving to travel the continents, train, and grow stronger, and refused to let Laxus come along.
• Hughes gave Laxus a letter for Mira and told him to remind Makarov to practice writing apology letters before vanishing.
• When Makarov and the others returned, Natsu challenged Hughes, but Makarov knocked him out; Gray and Natsu then started a brawl that spread through the guild.

Hughes left Fairy Tail to train across the continent, while the Strauss siblings read his teasing farewell letter. After returning to Sabertooth and distributing training plans, Hughes ordered a small group to travel with him to the Kingdom of Bosco and told the rest to keep searching for Sting and the others.

• Laxus told the guild that Hughes had left to train across the continent, then departed for an S-Class Mission; Erza dragged Natsu and Gray away to train.
• Mira read Hughes's letter, became embarrassed by his comments about her figure, and resolved to keep training alongside Lisanna and Elfman.
• Hughes returned to Sabertooth, renamed Dobengal "Ninja," and had him distribute training plans prepared by Makarov.
• Hughes gave Rogue and Minerva separate training plans and learned that the Magic Council's Toad envoy had given the guild money after investigating the town's mayor and wealthy residents.
• Hughes ordered Ninja, Rogue, Minerva, and several others to accompany him to the Kingdom of Bosco, while the rest of Sabertooth stayed behind to search for Sting and the others.

Hughes left Sabertooth to travel Ishgar and train, then challenged August on Alakitasia and was forced to retreat. When he returned for another fight, Irene, August, and Jacob Lessio confronted him together, leaving him facing the Twin Shields and a future Spriggan 12 member alone.

• Hughes set Sabertooth up in the capital of Bosco, destroyed three dark guilds, and departed to travel the continent.
• Hughes completed dozens of system tasks, advanced all three types of Haki, and strengthened his physical abilities and techniques.
• Hughes fought August on Alakitasia for a day and a night, but fled after August overwhelmed him with Super Magic and space magic.
• Hughes returned three months later intending to challenge August again, but Irene, August, and Jacob Lessio were waiting for him.
• Irene and August identified Hughes as an intruder, while Jacob noted that August’s divination magic had predicted his arrival.

Hughes fought Irene and Jacob Lessio until August intervened, but he seized an opening and captured Irene. With Irene held hostage, Hughes faced August and Jacob with the upper hand.

• Irene attacked Hughes with Impact, but he split the shock wave before Jacob Lessio appeared and kicked him.
• Hughes repelled Jacob and nearly struck him down, but August blocked the blow and warned Jacob to leave the fighting to him and Irene.
• Hughes’s quest reward increased his physical attributes as August unleashed Flash Shot and Irene pinned him with layers of gravity.
• Hughes countered August’s attack with Dragon Claw, and Irene lost focus after hearing a dragon’s roar.
• Hughes seized Irene by the throat, and August offered to meet his demands if he released her.

Hughes persuaded Irene to leave with him for Guiltina, while hinting to August that Mavis might still be alive. August struggled between Zeref’s plan and the news about his mother, and Irene made the decision to go.

• Hughes held Irene while facing August and Jacob Lessio, and secretly provoked August by making him hear thoughts about Mavis.
• Hughes told August that Mavis could be seen only by Fairy Tail members, then suggested Irene should be free to leave with him if she wished.
• Hughes hinted that a kind woman had died before someone was born without knowing that person was alive, and August realized he was talking about Mavis.
• August hesitated because Irene was Zeref’s ally and the news about Mavis challenged his loyalty to Zeref.
• Irene knocked Hughes’s hand away and announced that she was going out with him, telling August to inform Spriggan that she would return.

Hughes took Irene to the Guiltina Continent, hoping to exploit her hatred of dragons and recruit her help against its powerful figures. He set their course for Magia Dragon and Law Dragon Elefseria, whose transformation into a dragon stirred Irene’s interest.

• Hughes followed Irene across the sea and reflected that August might be drawn away from Zeref if he reunited with Mavis.
• Hughes led Irene toward Guiltina and told her about the surviving dragons and people who could become dragons there, though he embellished parts of the story.
• Hughes explained that Law Dragon Elefseria had taught himself Dragon Slayer Magic, turned into a dragon, and could no longer return to human form.
• Irene asked whether Hughes’s claims about Elefseria were true, then fell silent as his words stirred memories of her past.
• Hughes noticed Irene’s revealing outfit while they flew toward Magia Dragon.

Hughes and Irene traveled toward Magia Dragon, where Hughes planned to test his strength against the Law Dragon Elefseria while hiding his true motives. After Irene successfully enchanted him with Dragon Slayer Power, she sensed that he had become a deadly threat.

• Irene blasted Hughes with Impact after catching him staring at her, then warned him not to let his eyes wander again.
• Hughes and Irene camped near Guiltina, and Hughes worried that Elefseria might expose his lies when they reached Magia Dragon.
• Hughes approached Irene with a plan, but she stopped him with a slash in the ground and ordered him to stay away.
• Hughes asked whether Irene could enchant someone without magic, then revealed that he was not a mage.
• Irene enchanted Hughes with Dragon Slayer Power and told him it had succeeded, though she privately sensed a deadly threat from him.

Hughes tested the Dragon Slayer attribute Irene had added to his powers, then entered the Magia Dragon guild to meet Elefseria. After the system identified Elefseria as Pirate King Roger and offered the Voice of All Things as a quest reward, Hughes proposed that they pretend to work together to seal the Five Dragon Gods.

• Hughes unleashed the awakened Flame-Flame Fruit at the shore, then extinguished the flames when he found his power had not increased.
• Hughes and Irene flew to the Magia Dragon guild, where Hughes told Irene to wait outside and entered alone.
• Hughes found Elefseria in dragon form, inspected him, and asked him to change into human form.
• The system identified Elefseria as Pirate King Roger and activated a quest to defeat him, with the Voice of All Things as the reward.
• Hughes offered to help Elefseria seal the Five Dragon Gods if Elefseria would put on an act with him, but Elefseria warned him against his overconfidence.

Hughes persuaded Elefseria to test his strength as part of a plan to seal the Five Dragon Gods, then fought the Law Dragon using his Haki and Dragon Slayer Power. After Elefseria battered him and destroyed the Magia Dragon Guild, Hughes emerged with Conqueror's Coating and launched Dragon Claw Fist.

• Hughes convinced Elefseria to hear his plan, which would take at least ten years to seal the Five Dragon Gods, and asked him not to reveal their arrangement to Irene.
• Elefseria transformed into his dragon form and struck Hughes with Law Dragon's Roar, but Hughes endured the attack without injury.
• Elefseria vanished through Space Magic and attacked Hughes with a feint, but Hughes sensed his real position and struck his dragon claw with Dragon Slayer Power.
• Elefseria knocked Hughes away with his tail and unleashed repeated Law Dragon's Roars, collapsing the Magia Dragon Guild.
• Irene watched Elefseria as Hughes told her to seal off the space and prevent him from escaping.
• Hughes emerged from the dust with red lightning around him and used Dragon's Breath, a Dragon Claw Fist technique empowered by Conqueror's Coating.

Hughes and Elefseria staged a fight to test Elefseria’s strength and help Hughes keep Irene from leaving. After Hughes gave Irene information about Dragonization, she agreed to go with him to meet the Water Dragon God.

• Elefseria tried to escape into another dimension, but Irene sealed the space and Hughes attacked him.
• Elefseria broke Irene’s chains with a strike that shattered the ground, then vanished after exchanging a discreet signal with Hughes.
• Hughes blamed Irene for Elefseria’s escape and claimed Elefseria had attacked because he desired her.
• Irene recognized Hughes had lied about Elefseria’s condition, but Hughes gave her a scroll containing Elefseria’s insights into Dragonization.
• Irene read the scroll and agreed to go see the Water Dragon God.

After gaining the Voice of All Things, Hughes heard the lewd thoughts of Irene’s wand and teased it, then rushed to warn Elefseria not to give Gildarts the 100-Year Quest. He and Irene continued toward Mercphobia, with their journey ending in a three-day chase that brought them to Ermina.

• Hughes received the Voice of All Things after defeating Elefseria and discovered he could hear the thoughts of Irene’s wand.
• Hughes repeatedly touched the wand to annoy it, then abruptly left Irene to visit the Magia Dragon guild’s former headquarters.
• Hughes left Elefseria a warning not to assign Gildarts the 100-Year Quest because the Five Dragon Gods could not yet be sealed and Gildarts would be endangered.
• Hughes and Irene resumed their journey toward Mercphobia, and Irene struck Hughes after he edged too close and sniffed her.
• Irene chased Hughes with magic for three days until they reached Ermina, where Hughes surrendered and revealed Mercphobia might be nearby.

Hughes and Irene searched the seas for Water Dragon God Mercphobia, while Hughes warned Irene to avoid drawing the attention of God Ankhseram. They found Mercphobia and began fighting him, with Hughes hanging back as Irene attacked.

• Hughes used his Observation Haki and Ermina residents’ knowledge to determine where Mercphobia might appear, then asked Irene not to use her most destructive magic or attract a terrifying being on the Guiltina Continent.
• Hughes revealed that the being was God Ankhseram, and Irene recognized the deity’s name before agreeing to proceed cautiously.
• After searching for a week, Hughes located Mercphobia amid a vast storm of suspended seawater, and Irene shattered the dragon’s sea domain with Sea Surface Collapse.
• Mercphobia emerged and summoned a colossal wave that destroyed the island; Hughes vanished and told Irene to fight while he waited for an opening.
• Irene protected herself with a magic barrier and launched Holy Light Beam Stream at Mercphobia.